Body Recovered in the Search for the Missing Camper in Mendocino
Authorities have recovered a body in the vicinity where 48-year-old Rebecca Jones, a missing camper, was last seen along the Mendocino County Coast.
Jones disappeared on January 5, 2024, in the Hardy Creek area. She was last observed walking toward the Pacific Ocean, approximately 200 yards from the shore.
Captain Greg Van Patten of the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that searchers located Jones’s clothing and a body wedged in rocks near the shoreline where she was last seen. Due to hazardous surf conditions, the recovery was delayed, but they were able to bring in the body this week.
“The body is unidentified, but speculation yesterday was that it was possibly the missing person,” said Van Patten
A press release from the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office stated that Jones was camping in the Hardy Creek area with a friend. She left her campsite without hiking gear, food, or water, wearing green pants, a red hoodie, and a black and white hat. Notably, she did not inform anyone of her hiking plans, despite having experience in outdoor activities.